The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus for housing and dispensing hygienic applicators so that the applicators are moist when dispensed. The present invention is more particularly directed toward an improved apparatus for moistening applicators and for minimizing contamination from the environment outside of the apparatus. The present invention is even more particularly directed toward an apparatus that is in a fixed location near a user.
Paper towelettes (also called tissues or cloths) are in widespread use for a variety of cleaning operations and for personal hygiene, for example, as toilet tissue. Some towelettes are made of materials other than paper, and may be premoistened and fashioned or packaged in portable containers. Some premoistened towelettes are individually folded and wrapped in plastic or in metal-foil type packets. Currently available premoistened towelettes have limitations that preclude their use as toilet tissue. These premoistened, individually packaged towelettes packets are generally heavy and are not dispensed from a continuous roll, as is toilet paper. This is wasteful and expensive because single sheet packaging requires a large amount of nonbiodegradable plastic or metal-foil wrapping materials.
Some premoistened towelettes are interleaved in a fashion characteristic of dry facial tissues and are packaged in containers having a foil sealing member to prevent moisture loss while the container is on the shelf. In use, the foil is removed and the towelettes are removed one at a time as use dictates. Interleaving is designed to permit ease of removal of the second towelette after the first is used. If there is no replacement lid for the foil seal, once opened, the towelettes tend to dry out rapidly. A conventional tissue box type of plastic dispenser having a single lid with a dispensing slot is only a slight improvement over the removable foil lid type of assembly because the towelette next to be dispensed is exposed to air through the slot and will dry. Wicking action causes the moisture in the towelettes within the box to migrate to the dry tip of the exposed towelette. The entire contents of the "tissue box" dry out relatively rapidly. Another problem is having lids that are tightfitting enough to prevent additional moisture loss at the juncture between the lid and the box walls. Proposed solutions to drying out of towelettes in a tissue box dispenser, include a flap covering the opening through which tissues are removed or an excess of fluid along with the towelettes.
A snap fitting lid with a small aperture through which leading edges of tissues are pulled, and a gasket sealing means with an open and closed position have been proposed to solve some of the problems with dispensers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,218.
Despite the disclosure of many types of dispensers, there is still a need in the art for a dispenser containing a plurality of individual applicators for transfer of fluids to human skin. There is still a further need in the art for a dispenser which is easy to use and economical to produce. There is a further need for a dispenser which keeps the applicators moist and hygienic until use. In contrast to portable systems, a dispenser in fixed proximity to a user of a toilet would be advantageous.